Undercover Videos Result in Federal Election Commission Complaints

Those undercover videos from the Project Veritas investigation that show Hillary Clinton supporting Democrat operatives boasting about provoking violence at Donald Trump’s campaign events have resulted in at least two complaints being filed at the Federal Election Commission. One FEC complaint was filed by the Public Interest Legal Foundation and a second complaint was filed by Project Veritas Action.

It may be hard to believe, but it’s not paying the violent agitators that might get the Democrats in trouble with the FEC. According to the Washington Examiner, what may actually serious legal problems are the less-noticed conversations on the videos suggesting coordination among the Hillary Clinton campaign, the Democratic National Committee and pro-Democrat third-party groups.

The Project Veritas complaint filed by Benjamin Barr, who previously served as counsel to two FEC chairmen, makes out a case “criminal conspiracy” that involves the knowing and willing creation of coordinated expenditures from prohibited corporate sources”:

Transcripts from the Project Veritas investigation, titled “Rigging the Election,” show that “supposedly independent speech and actions of third-party groups were directed, controlled, or puppeteered” by Hillary for America or the DNC.

“Indeed, the record established not just simple violations of the FECA’s coordination provisions, but ongoing knowing and willful evasion of federal election law requirements through a complicated scheme,” Mr. Barr said.

The footage shows Scott Foval, national field director of Americans United for Change, discussing his work coordinating protests against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with the DNC, the Clinton campaign and third-party groups.

Priorities USA and other super PACs are barred from coordinating with candidates in part because they may accept unlimited contributions from corporations and unions, while political campaigns cannot.

And maybe worse than the illegal coordination is that the Public Interest Legal Foundation complaint also asks the FEC to investigate whether the Clinton campaign or DNC violated election law by working with third parties that targeted, including illegal immigrants, in violation of campaign law.